Poem 55 from a correspondence in translations of Ibn Arabi’s Tarjuman al-Ashwaq, between Yasmine Seale and Robin Moger. The first two translations are made independently and each subsequent rendering written after the other’s previous version has been sent and seen.

Khusraw discovers Shirin bathing in a pool from a 16th-century Khamsa by Nizami. Source: Wikipedia

Adonis/Dennis Bouchard. From “A”, an exhibition retracing twenty years of visual works by the poet Adonis, Galerie Azzedine Alaïa, Paris, 2015. Source: worldliteraturetoday.org

who are you and who am I

he stayed me

and he said to me Who are you and who am I and I saw the sun and the moon and the stars and all the lights ashine and he said to me There is no light in my sea shines on without I have seen it and each thing came to me until no thing was leftand kissed me between my eyes and saluted meand stood in shadow and he said to me You know me andI do not know you and I saw all of him clung to my robeand not to meand my robe leantand I did not and my robe leant and he said to me Who am I and the sun went down and the moonand the stars fell and the lights were put outand the dark covered all things but him and my eye did not see and my ear did not hearmy senses ceasedand each thing spokeit said Allahu Akbar and each thing came to mea spear in its handit said to me Flee and I said Where to and it said Fall into darkness and into darkness I fell and I saw myself and he said to me See none but yourself ever Come out from darkness never And should I bring you out from it I wouldshow you myself You would see meand should you see me you would bemost distant of all

Posts navigation

By using this site you verify that (1) you are 18 years of age or older and (2) you agree to the use of cookies | يعني استخدام هذا الموقع الإقرار بأنك (1) تبلغ من العمر 18 عامًا أو أكثر و(2) توافق على
ملفات تعريف الارتباط أو الكوكيز.
Cookie Policy